


Advice

by Leni



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s07e22 Chosen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 10:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5623885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Best friends know how to give each other advice, even when it involves their other best friend's little sister. (background Xander/Dawn)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Marlex at [Comment Fic](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/586914.html?thread=81592482#t81592482). Prompt: **falling for your best friend's sister.**

There was a man in her bed.

There was a man _sleeping_ in her bed.

There was a man sleeping in her bed and _drooling_ over her pillowcase.

"Disgusting," Willow muttered, tempted to summon something moderately heavy and throw it at his head. But this was her best friend in the world, and best friends got away with a warning.

She tiptoed closer, took his nose between thumb and forefinger, and squeezed.

" _Yeouch!_ " Xander jackknifed awake, hands flying to cover his face. Then made a gurgling sound when his palm met his wet chin and, shuddering, wiped his face. "Ew."

"Exactly," Willow said, pulling some tissue from her bedside drawer and dropping it into his cleaner hand.

He took it gratefully, but then remembered himself and threw her a glare. "You're mean, Will."

Willow sat herself beside him. "You're welcome." With her fingertips, she nabbed one corner of her soiled pillow and flung it to the floor. "And you're taking that to the laundry."

Xander shrugged, which she took to mean as agreement. 

The lack of protest let her know he had come for help. Meeting in their bedrooms was one of the few things to ensure they had some privacy, when living next to super-powered teenage girls with excellent hearing and an innate thirst for gossip.

"What's wrong?" she asked, already combing through the possibilities.

At least she could be sure that it wasn't the end of the world. They'd be in Buffy's bedroom if that were the case.

He threw the tissue into the wastebasket in the opposite corner, not even making a remark when the crumpled ball made its smooth way inside. Usually he would have boasted about his one-eyed feat.

Instead he gave a deep sigh. "I messed up."

Willow waited. When Xander seemed bent in continuing in silent self-reproach, she sidled closed and elbowed his side. "Gonna need more detail than that, Xander."

"Yeah. I know. I just don't know that I want you yelling at me just yet."

Because that didn't sound ominous at all.

"It's okay." She patted his thigh comfortingly. "I'll make it easy for you. You can remember that I've known you since we were four, and that I've seen you be an insensitive jerk more than once and I love you anyway." She waited until he smiled. "Or you can keep your silence, and I'll curse you with something nasty for keeping me from my bed without a good reason."

That brought a laugh out of him.

Guys were so strange.

"All right, all right," he relented with a chuckle. "It's about... dating. A girl. A girl I'm dating."

Right. Her instinct was always to feel a little weird when such subjects arose between them. He had been her first love, after all. Not even the better, more fulfilling romantic relationships she'd found since then had filled that place in her heart.

But this was who they were, so she gave that twinge a resolute shove back into the other awkward remnants of her teenage self. "If you want advice..."

"No!" He closed his mouth. Considered that. "Well, I _do_. Just not that kind of advice."

Willow breathed in relief. "Is it someone I know?"

Xander nodded.

Not a demon in disguise then. Thank the goddess.

"Did you get into a fight?"

He started to shake his head, then his eye opened wide. "That's what it was!"

Willow bit down a smile. She did love him, but he was _such_ a typical guy, always blind to female moods. "Okay. At least now you know." She made a mental note to reassure this new girlfriend that Xander was still far above average, since he'd been surrounded by women since his teens and had picked up some clues in that time. "What was it about?"

He heaved another sigh. "She mentioned going public. I might not have been very enthusiastic about the idea."

Her hand hit against his chest. Hard. "You're an ass."

"Hey!"

"Yes, yes, I love you still," she told him, but gave a disappointed shake of her head. "But you still are---"

"Okay! I heard you the first time!"

"Is this because you don't like her that much? Because in that case you should really stop stringing the girl along."

He shook his head. "Oh no. Not that. I do like her. _A lot_."

Willow eyed him. She'd seen that look on his face a few times in the past. With River Johnson, back in seventh grade. Buffy, before they'd settled as good friends. Cordelia, rest her soul, had also put that soft smile on his face. Willow herself, too, had gotten him to look at her like that once.

And, of course, Anya.

"You love her," she said, half wonderingly.

"I do." But his smile dropped and he groaned, burying his head in his hands. "I'm so dead."

Willow raised her hand to pat his shoulder, but a sudden thought stopped her. "It's not illegal, is it? Because I know we've got second-hand experience with seriously different age-difference issues, but-"

"No!"

He looked so offended that she had no choice but to look sheepish. "Okay. Good."

"As if that ever ends well," he said, somewhat grumpily. 

Willow nodded.

Xander fidgeted. "But she _is_ younger."

Younger, and Willow already knew her. "She's not one of the new Slayers, is it? Because I think you'd do better asking for Buffy's advice instead."

He went white in a second. "No," he said, shaking his head forcefully. "Not Buffy."

Willow made to protest. "But...."

"No, Willow." Xander looked her in the eye. "Not. Buffy."

She searched his face. Discomfort and guilt were obvious on his features, but at moments like this, when he opened himself to her, Willow could read so much more. They had known each other since before they could string more than a few syllables into full, coherent sentences. They were beyond the need for language, so he didn't actually need to say the words.

Willow gaped. "You're so dead," she echoed his own words.

"I know," he said, resigned.

"I don't know what's worse. That you've been dating a girl you've played dolls with, or that you did it behind the backs of the other people who've helped babysit her."

With a loud groan, Xander laid back across the mattress. "It wasn't a date. Not in the beginning. We were just hanging out and stuff, and then..." He gave a shrug. Then he frowned and glared at her half-heartedly. "And those were _action dolls_."

"Sure they were," she said on rote, as she always had since she'd caught him serving tea to Mr. Gordo. Male egos were so fragile! "And now, what, you're playing doctor?"

"Will!"

"Well, are you?"

"Not that it's any of your business-"

She rolled her eyes at that. "Says the guy who's telling me about it."

"-but it hasn't gotten there."

_Yet._

The word hung between them.

Willow took a moment to consider the situation. Together with Xander and Buffy, she had lived through the chaos the world had thrown at them: demons and break ups, government-issued evil hybrids and magic rehab. Surely they could manage something as harmless as falling for their best friend's little sister?

"You know," she said slowly, weighing the words, "I believe Buffy will be thrilled when she finds out."

Xander perked up a little. "Really?"

"After she threatens you with physical disfigurement if you hurt Dawn."

He passed his hand over his blind side and chuckled. "Too late."

If he could joke about it, so could she. "You still have the _other_ eye."

Xander cringed, but Willow could tell that the fear was feigned.

She eyed him, content to find that he didn't seem as tense anymore. A burden shared must indeed be a burden halved. She sat next to him for another minute, but quickly decided that it wasn't fair that he looked so comfy, all sprawled in the bed, when this was in her bedroom. She poked his hip and, taking a look at her, Xander grunted but scooted over. Stretching her legs, Willow climbed up, rolling to her side to face him and pillowing her head on his chest.

He owed her a pillow, after all.

"It will be all right," she said.

His hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she bent her arm to graze his fingers with hers. 

"Yeah."

"Besides," she confessed with a grin, "I can't say I blame you. That girl, whew. All grown up - and turned all really fine."

"That's not-"

Willow raised an eyebrow.

Xander's cheeks pinkened. "Okay. It's partly that." He squirmed. "But don't tell Buffy."

Willow made as if to think about that. "What's in it for me?"

He pulled on her hair, more teasing than warning. "Well," he played along, "I might forget to mention who 'borrowed' her emerald sweater. The one she's been looking for, for the last week. Or that it met an untimely end when that spell backfired on Monday."

Oh. That sweater. "I was going to get her a new one for Christmas."

Xander just smiled.

He didn't need to say that Christmas was still months away.

"Deal," she conceded, giggling a little.

He would never betray her. Or she, him.

That was what friendship was.

 

The End  
03/01/16


End file.
